I was reading Rob's blog earlier, and he had a post that simply relayed a thought. This was his thought: "Usually I am fooled into thinking that everyday life is mundane."
I thought about this for a moment, and I remembered that I often complain about everyday life being mundane. In fact, as I commented on Rob's blog, I usually call it, "Everyday mundane life". Now that this is being brought to the surface, I realize that I used to not think of life as mundane. It happened when I started to become spiritual. Everyday life just doesn't seem to cut it anymore. I could never go back. Also, I feel sorry for the people who are stuck there - the people who have no sense of spirituality at all. They wake-up in the mornings, go to work, come home, eat, watch t.v. and go to bed, only to wake-up again the next morning. I do this, too, except for the watching t.v. part. But, I feel that in my life there is an extra component, and that is purpose. I feel that my purpose is to become more than I already am, to reach higher levels of consciousness and to gain more knowledge and enlightenment. This brings more challenge into life. I'm not saying life is a game that is only meant to be played in a competitive way with the sole purpose of winning. I'm not here to beat anyone or be better than anyone. I'm only here to improve myself and gain the things I seek.
At the same time, I also think Rob's thought serves as a lesson to me, to start to try to learn to see things in everyday life that aren't mundane. This can bring added benefits to my experience.
[Update 2-7-07: It is funny to read go back and read this, because I no longer feel this way. I enjoy every day life, now. I am rarely bored, because I can find things to entertain myself with. Even "every day life" has its surprises.]
5 comments:
Great post Stacey,
What you say rings true to me. I think for the last few months I have been stuck in a bit of an rut, wanting to break out of my "everyday boring life" and "experience something more." I came to realise that I could not really define that something more, and meditating on this thought I came to the following conclusion
Every waking moment is part of a continuos dialogue with the universe. You talk to it through your thoughts and actions, and it talks to your through the events in your life, the words and actions of others. Everything is a wake up call, a question, an answer in front of your eyes.
It is this exact thought that has brought me back to blogging from this long period of introspection.
The greater truths are shown to us in the mundane events of the everyday.
nondualreality
"The greater truths are shown to us in the mundane events of the everyday."
Great point.
Stacey
The ordinary is extra-ordinary.
It would be nice to be able to enjoy the ordinary.
To notice the artwork on the chinese bowl on my desk. To be amazed that there are various pieces of paper lying on my desk. To derive satisfaction from each and every sensation.
We would need nothing more.
That would be nice. :)
There's that famous William Blake quote: 'To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower' - and less well known lyrics from a song by Dishwalla I put in that song thread from a while back: 'see the pain and beauty all around - see them try so hard to take me down.'
To me these two kind of covers it, in general spiritual people seem to like to focus on the beauty or the bliss but I can't ignore the pain or the ignorance in the world. If the mundane is an unconscious life of being an automaton, going through these motions, (maybe even being rather satisfied with it - even blissful) then what is not mundane is being conscious, not selectively but of all of it.
So my experience is that there is a depth, it could be pleasant or not, but the only thing for sure is that you're touched by it. Whether positive or negative there is an aliveness. I think that's what makes spiritual experience so striking to people used to a mundane life, because it has an intensity that people are just not used to - it might even be too much at times.
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